Mary Melfi
Mary Melfi (born July 1, 1951) is a Canadian poet, novelist, and playwright. Life Melfi was born in Casacalenda, Italy, a small mountain town south of Rome. At the age of 6, she immigrated with her family to Montreal, Quebec where she attended the local English schools. She earned a B.A. in English literature from Concordia University and a Masters of Library Science from McGill University. Since completing her studies in 1977 she has published over a dozen books of critically acclaimed poetry and prose. Her debut novel, Infertility Rites, was published by Guernica Editions in 1991. In 1994 Doubleday Canada published her children's fantasy book: Ubu, the Witch Who Would be Rich. Melfi's account of peasant life in Southern Italy during the 1930s, entitled Italy Revisited: Conversations with my mother, was published by Guernica Editions. To complement the book, Melfi has created a website in which she has compiled thousands of photos of peasant life in turn of the century Italy. "Italy Revisited". Both her memoir Italy Revisited and her novel Infertility Rites have been translated into French and Italian. Melfi is also a playwright; her works for the theater have been workshopped in Montreal, Toronto and Vancouver. Melfi lives in Montreal with her husband. Writing Melfi is noted for her black humour, wry wit and imaginative style. Critics have suggested that this author manages "not only to make us laugh, but also think." In-depth reviews of her writings can be found in William Anselmi's 2007 book, Mary Melfi, Essays on her work. Recognition Melfi received the Giornata Internazionale Della Donna Award in 2010.Mary Melfi, Guernica Editions. Web, Apr. 10, 2019. Publications Poetry *''The Dance, the Cage and the Horse''. Montreal: D Press, 1976. *''A Queen Is Holding a Mummified Cat''. Montreal: Guernica, 1982. *''A Dialogue with Masks''. Oakville, ON: Mosaic Press, 1985. *''The O Canada Poems''. Brandon, MB: Dollarpoems, 1986. *''A Season in Beware''. Windsor, ON: Black Moss Press, 1989. *''Stages: Selected poems''. Toronto & Buffalo, NY: Guernica, 1998. *''Office Politics''. Toronto & Buffalo, NY: Guernica, 1999. Plays *''A Bride in Three Acts''. Montreal: Guernica, 1983. *''Sex Therapy: A black comedy''. Toronto & Buffalo, NY: Guernica, 1996. *''Foreplay / My Italian Wife: Two plays''. Toronto: Guernica, 2012. Novels *''Infertility Rites''. Montreal: Guernica, 1991. Non-fiction *''Italy Revisited: Conversations with my mother''. Toronto & Buffalo, NY: Guernica, 2009. Juvenile *''Ubu, the Witch Who Would Be Rich''. Toronto: Doubleday, 1994. Edited *''Painting Moments: Art, AIDS, and Nick Palazzo''. Toronto & Buffalo, NY: Guernica, 1998. Except where noted, bibliographical information courtesy WorldCat.Search results = au:Mary Melfi, WorldCat, OCLC Online Computer Library Center Inc. Web, May 25, 2013. See also *List of Canadian poets References *''Mary Melfi: Essays on her work'' (edited by William Anselmi). Toronto & Buffalo, NY: Guernica, 2007. Notes External links ;Books *Mary Melfi at Amazon.com ;About *Mary Melfi at Quebec Writers Federation *About Mary Melfi at Italy Revisited *Ten Questions with Mary Melfi at Open Book Toronto, 2009. ;Etc. *Italy Revisited photo & recipe archive Category:1951 births Category:Canadian dramatists and playwrights Category:Canadian novelists Category:Canadian poets Category:Concordia University alumni Category:Canadian people of Italian descent Category:McGill University alumni Category:Living people Category:Canadian women writers Category:20th-century poets Category:20th-century women writers Category:English-language poets Category:Poets Category:Women poets